| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 115.1 | Keep you head still | NESSIE::KEVIN | Kevin O'Brien | Mon Jun 01 1987 15:54 | 52 |
| A couple of things come to mind that can cause a slice. One is
what I call the over the top swing, outside in swing plane (can
also cause a hook if you have fast hands), the other is an open
club face at impact. To determine which it is, watch the flight
of the ball. If it starts off left of the intended line, it's most
probably an outside in move. If it starts off on line or to the
right, it's an open club face.
Going over the top is caused by the fear of it going right or
misalingment. Go to the practice field and set up to hit a shot.
Then put a club down at your feet, it should be parallel to the
intended line. If it's not then place the club at our feet parallel
to the line then address the ball. Make sure that your feet, hips
and shoulders are also parallel. Then start the backswing square
to the line. If you take inside, you'll end up over the top to
keep it from going right. As for the fear of it going right, the
only cure I know of is to (oh my God fears don't) hook it. I believe
that you have to fight it going left. Some how you'll have to convince
youself that you're not going to let it go left. Easier said than
done. If it starts left then goes right and you can't stop it,
play it.
The open club face is a bit more subtle. Chance are that you lined
up correctly, and the take away is good. When you start the down
swing you'll notice that your left leg will be stiff (assuming that
you're right handed). Then you head and shoulders will go by the
ball causing the club face to be open at impact. This is caused
by trying to hit the ball too hard. Without seeing your swing I
really can't tell, but I'll bet that this is the problem. When
you move your head, the left knee will straighten up, the hip will
clear early and it will look like an outside in swing. The way
to cure this is again mental but there are some things you can do
to help. Try not to hit the ball so hard. Develop an attitude
of 'getting the ball in play' off the tee and tell yourself you've
got the right club when hitting to the green. Then when you start
your swing, think about keeping your head still and keep your legs
in the swing. Don't let your left leg get stiff and let the momentum
of the swing clear the hip. The mental image to have is that of
a wagon wheel with your head at the hub and your arm and club as
a spoke. Work on this at the range and see if it helps.
On more thing is grip pressure. If you grip the club too tightly
at address you'll have a tendancy to let it go at the top. By the
time you regrip the club the face will be open.
Good luck..... Let me know how/if it works. If you need more details
send mail. If things get worse, you didn't hear it here. If things
get better I'll send you the bill....... <!8>
The teacher
KO
|
| 115.2 | Concentrate on the takeaway. | GLIVET::HUSTON | | Mon Jun 01 1987 17:21 | 14 |
|
Make sure you have a one piece take away. By this I mean that your
arms and hands and club should all stay in the same position as
at the address, this is only for the first foot or so of the take
away.
Also concentrate on taking the club slowly back and straight back
along the line for the first foot or so, and keep the club low to
the ground for this foot. This sets up a good arc and makes it
easy to return on the same straight line.
This has always worked for me when I get erratic.
--Bob
|
| 115.3 | check the fundamentals | BCSE::SPT_BRINKLEY | | Mon Jun 01 1987 18:54 | 12 |
| Before you go off mucking around with the swing check some of the
basics out. Start with your grip. Make sure your not slightly opened
or close. Then look at your address. Are you standing open? Have
you moved the forward or back from where you normally hit it. Is
the club aligned correctly or better yet are you aligned correctly.
How's the posture at address. Probably you'll find something wrong
here which is manifesting itself in your swing.
Swings are a touchy thing and I wouldn't mess with one unless I
had a lot of time and a reoccuring problem.
Roger
|
| 115.4 | watch your left shoulder | STING::PIEL | | Mon Jun 01 1987 18:55 | 14 |
| The same type of thing was happening to me several weeks ago. I
couldn't correct the slice and went to the pro that I have taken
lessons from off and on for 2 years.
He said that I was dropping my left shoulder as I started my backswing.
This caused 2 things to happen: 1) the swing became outside/in and
2) put to much weight on my left leg. The result = slice.
Since the lesson the slicing has markedly been reduced although
at times I seem to be hooking some shots.
Hope this helps.
Ken
|
| 115.5 | Amen for fundamentals | MDVAX1::TATUM | | Wed Jun 03 1987 22:03 | 22 |
| I second .3. After reading every book, magazine, and tip I could,
I have found that returning to fundamentals is the only sound approach.
Most of the 'tips' (eg. magazine pointers) are gimmicks and don't
withstand the test of time. BTW, I like Hogan's book for a good,
succinct reference on fundamentals.
It is incredibly easy for your grip to change over time without
noticing. Since my return to fundamentals, I have been astonished
at this and at how seemingly minute, trivial grip changes affect
the entire swing and shot.
With respect to alignment, this was one of my own breakthroughs.
I always thought I was properly aligned until I started using the 'spot'
technique of aiming at a spot a foot or two if front of the ball.
It turned out that I consistently aligned to the right of the target
with an open clubface. All of a sudden, the cause of my push-fade was
obvious and easily correctable. BTW, in the Search for the Perfect
Swing, they show the foot positions of pros versus duffers. Pros
consistently have the same foot position swing after swing, while
high handicappers tend to vary their foot position from swing to
swing...contributing to erratic shot making.
|
| 115.6 | OVERcorrect! | HAVOC::DESROCHERS | | Fri Jun 05 1987 18:27 | 18 |
|
Drastically overcorrect! If you hit a bananna slice, set up
to hit a duck hook and vice versa.
At the driving range, take a low iron and make believe you're
in the woods punching out by hitting a 3/4 swing. Close your
stance and swing drastically AROUND your body to hit a low hook.
Really try to make it bend. Then open your stance and swing
upright and cut across the ball and hit a big slice.
Alternate between the two, hitting a couple of each.
Visualize the ball curving around that last tree.
Try it with your driver with a full swing. Hit duck hooks and
bananna slices.
Gradually work your way back to a happy medium.
Tom
|
| 115.7 | Fundamentals and consistency! | ESPN::BLAISDELL | Beware the Sotweed Factor | Fri Jun 05 1987 19:32 | 11 |
| I have to disagree with you Tom. Drastically overcorrecting a
swing can lead to serious swing disorders and the method you
stated should only be practiced by the most experienced and
talented of golfers. For the average golfing Joe, having one
swing, repeated over and over will produce the best results.
I totally agree with .3 and .5 in that the basic fundamentals
should be reviewed and worked on (preferably under the watchful
eye of a pro) every so often. It's amazing how easily bad habits
can be picked up without even knowing it!
-rick-
|
| 115.8 | Captain Hook | HAVOC::DESROCHERS | | Fri Jun 05 1987 20:42 | 20 |
|
I certainly didn't mean he should take my method to the course.
It's just a way of really "feeling" how a hook or slice feels
and then applying it to his own swing (moderately).
How many times have you run into the player who hits a slice
and says he never hooked a ball in his life. That player will
always hit a slice and always complain about it. You can't take
a slicer, have them make a minor change to their grip or stance,
and suddenly produce a draw. Proper swing path must be totally
obvious and, to me, the best way is to exaggerate it. Minor
subtleties just aren't apparent enough to most golfers.
My suggestions are really obvious to the golfers body and, I'd
bet, would correct a slice within a large bucket.
Also, I have no idea of the level of .0's golf and I'm not
insinuating he's a complaining slicer...
Down the middle!
Tom
|
| 115.9 | Just a few comments | HEFTY::WELLSPEAK | Lord Beak | Mon Jun 08 1987 16:26 | 33 |
| Just a few thoughts on previous replies. Tom in .8, helped
me to cure my slicing problem. I still today fade the ball from
left to right, but in a controled manner as opposed to slicing.
The tip he gave me that helped was in my grip. I had as told before,
moved my right hand more under the club, but hadn't changed my left
hand. This was causing my hands to fight each other. One in a
hook position and the other in a slice position. What Tom did to
help me was point out that the 'V' that's formed betweem your index
finger and thumb on the club, on both hands should be pointing in
the same direction. When I made this adjustment in my left hand,
I really noticed the difference in both the slicing, and distance
I was getting off the tee.
Another thing I've read is from KO. who plays a pretty good
game, at least his scores indicate it. But Kevin, you said keep
your head still. I son't agree with this. I watched 'Inside the
PGA' this week on ESPN and one of the tips they gave is to let your
head and neck flow with your spine on your takeaway and followthru.
Later as I was watching the Kemper Open on TV, I noticed that all
the pros, either move their head with the takeaway, or position
it by cocking their head before their takaway, so as to get a good
turn in theri backswing. And they also allow it to come up with
the followthru. If you don't, you can't possibly have a good
followthru. Now this doesn't mean, move your eyes too. You have
to keep your eye on the ball all the way thru impact.
I hope you've had some success in correcting your slice Per-Olof,
but don't be dissapointed, if you have a fade you cannot correct.
Learn to play it. Lee Trevino has made a lot of money playing a
fade in his day. And as long as it's not a slice, but a controled
fade, don't worry about it to much. Most pros would love to be
able to fade every iron shot into a green, as it provides a much
softer landing shot, and you can hold more greens with a fade shot
than you can with a draw or hook.
Beak
|
| 115.10 | Problem solved! | STKHLM::LITBY | You're away! | Mon Jun 08 1987 18:26 | 28 |
|
Thanks for all the help, folks. Those of you who suggested that I
check up on the fundamentals were right. After a few unsuccessful
rounds and sessions at the driving range, I decided to let the pro
take a look at my set-up - it was pretty clear that that's were the
problem originated.
Sure enough, he spotted it in 5 minutes! It turned out that my
setup had deteriorated. We found out that my shoulders weren't
parallel to the target line - they were about 10�-20� off, in an
open position. This, of course, caused an outside-in swing plane
in relation to the target line and consequently a horrible slice at
times. When I looked at some video shots of my swing, it was
obvious - I'm surprised that my playing partners didn't notice it
right away.
The cure was simple - the pro gave me some hints on how to make
sure the shoulder setup is correct. I'm now practising this - the
bad thing is that the wrong setup had been grooved into my swing,
so it will take some time to adjust to the new stance. Since I had
gotten used to the ``bad'' swing, naturally I don't hit the ball
all that well right now, but at least it's straight. Nothing that
a few hundred buckets of balls at the range can't cure...
Let's see - I should be able to hit a couple of 100's tomorrow
morning before work...
--- POL
|
| 115.11 | How much were you playing for??? | HEFTY::WELLSPEAK | Lord Beak | Mon Jun 08 1987 21:16 | 6 |
| POL, congrats on solving your problem. That didn't take to
long. On your comments "I'm surprized my playing partners didn't
see it right away." It all depends on if they're your playing
partners, or if you had some kind of a match going. They probably
saw it but didn't tell you!!! *-) *-).
Beak
|
| 115.12 | Preaching to the preacher | NESSIE::KEVIN | Kevin O'Brien | Thu Jun 11 1987 17:56 | 26 |
|
Been out of town for a while so I just got to read this. Glad to
see that the slice has been fixed. Now on to getting even with
your playing partners for not noticing. Take them out on the course
and shoot 75. That will make them notice your swing.
As to some of the other replies, fundamentals was what I was TRYING
to preach. The point of the reply is that you can tell alot about
a swing problem by the filght of the ball. If the shot starts off
straight or to the left of the intended line then slices then the
indication is a bad set up. If it goes right to right then you're
not staying behind the ball (commonly called moving your head).
Beak you're right, you have to move when you swing. If you keep
your head perfectly still, you'd screw yourself into the ground
and folks could use the top of your head for a tee. However in
order to get the club face back to the ball square, the upper body
must be in the same relative position as it was when you took the
club away. If you move your head and shoulders in front of the
ball then the club face will be open (causing right to right action.)
However saying that to someone might confuse them. My experience
is that telling someone to keep their head still makes it easier
on them.
Oh well not to worry the slice is gone!
KO
|
| 115.13 | | STKHLM::LITBY | Where EAGLES dare... | Sat Jun 13 1987 20:07 | 9 |
|
One other thing I had been sloppy with - I tend(ed?) to grip the
club a little to firmly, and also too far up on the shaft - proved
by the excessive wear on my golf gloves where the top of the grip
was abrading the glove. A less firm grip helped me roll over the
hands more consistently in the follow-through. The swing is much
better now.
-- POL
|
| 115.14 | NOW you tell me... | DICKNS::F_MCGOWAN | | Mon Jun 22 1987 22:38 | 13 |
| re. 11
There was no money on it (just braggin' rights) but after I had
such a miserable round Saturday (one banana ball after another),
my father-in-law told me he'd noticed a loop in my swing that
brought my right elbow out and caused an outside-in swing (which
is guaranteed to produce either a monster slice or a dead pull
every time). I don't say he withheld the data intentionally, but
I sure would have appreciated knowing this, say, on the third or
fourth hole, rather than the 19th!
Frank
|